


last living souls

by DownInTheGutter



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Body Horror, Dark, M/M, Possessive Keith (Voltron), Quintessence, death mention
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-06
Updated: 2018-04-09
Packaged: 2019-04-19 10:14:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14235069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DownInTheGutter/pseuds/DownInTheGutter
Summary: Keith would always save him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [im_using_my_made_up_name](https://archiveofourown.org/users/im_using_my_made_up_name/gifts).



> Changed the title from a QOTSA song to a Gorillaz one
> 
> Kinda spoilers for the fic:  
> Okay so I recently watched all the versions of Fullmetal Alchemist and the whole bit with the philosophers stone got me thinking  
> What if bringing someone back to life using quintessence required sacrificing other lives, or if it was just incredibly destructive, I mean Daibazaal was annihilated  
> Some inspiration for the body horror comes from A&P classes I had to take a couple years back. The rest I just made up  
> Keith is not exactly mentally stable in this one and whether that’s because of losing Shiro again or quintessence exposure is up to you  
> As for how damage to Shiro’s body works and how to go about fixing it, think the second half of Death Becomes Her

The first few weeks were a blur. He thinks those were weeks, at least.

“You need to rest.” Keith told him every time he tried to open his eyes. “You still need to heal.”

Back then, he couldn’t see, or move, or remember. The only thing grounding him was Keith’s voice.

***

He doesn’t know why Keith leaves sometimes. It’s not that he has to look for food or water, neither of them seems to need any now, and there’s nothing out there, apart from the two of them.

There are no structures, or animals, or even plants. Everything is completely barren and silent.

Nothing else lives on this planet. Maybe nothing ever did. Maybe nothing does now.

***

He keeps picking at the skin of the forearm. It comes off in flakes, and the flesh underneath is desiccated. He plucks at something that possibly used to be a vein. It’s hard to tell.

He’s not rotting, which is an upside.

“Was I dead.” He doesn’t even try to frame it as a question.

“I didn’t have a choice.” Keith says quietly. “I had to save you.”

 “Keith, where’s the rest of our team?”

“They wanted to make me leave you.”

***

“You stole my corpse.”  He’s not sure whether he wants to laugh or cry.

“Shiro, you don’t understand. They wanted to bury you.”

***

Keith says:

“They wouldn’t let me save you.”

 “They accepted you were dead.”

“I didn’t know what to do at first, that’s why you’re like this.” _Decomposing_.

***

He doesn’t know how long he walks; it’s impossible to tell how much time has passed. The sky is always covered with toxic fumes, and there’s no visible source of light.

Everything looks grey – the planet, the sky, his body.

Still, there has to be something out here. Someone, something else alive on this planet.

***

He falls off a cliff and breaks his legs. It looks nasty, an open break in one of them, and both twisted at awkward angles. He pokes at the bones curiously.

It doesn’t hurt at all.

Keith finds him there, sitting uselessly.

 “You have to be more careful.” He tuts at the sight before lifting Shiro easily. “But don’t worry, I can fix you.”

If he realized Shiro was trying to run away, he doesn’t comment on it.

***

He gets bored a lot. Keith catches him pulling his fingernails out.

“I told you to quit picking at yourself.” He scolds him like a child, as if Shiro wasn’t a consciousness inside a corpse.

There’s nowhere to see his reflection, and he can’t help but wonder what his face looks like now.

“Keith. What am I?”

“You’re Shiro.”

***

Keith says:

 “Quintessence had different effects on us.”

“It doesn’t work for humans the same way.”

“You died. And I couldn’t live in a world without you.”

***

He was searching for answers, but never wanted his suspicions confirmed. Still.

“How many people died because you tried to bring me back?”

Keith stays silent. It’s the one question he always ignores.

“Will I ever get to die?”

“No.” Keith gives him a tiny smile. “You’re finally safe.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith's POV

A burst of pure quintessence is more akin to a nuclear explosion.

He wonders if knowing this would have affected his decision.

Back then, when he entered the rift carrying Shiro in his arms, his only thought was that he would give everything to bring him back.

In a way, he got his wish.

***

Shiro keeps asking:

“What happened to everyone?”

“Why did you do it?”

“Was it worth it?”

It’s as if he doesn’t understand how important he is.

That he’s worth everything and more.

***

When Shiro was dying in his arms he knew what he had to do, no matter the cost.

He doesn’t regret his decision because of two simple facts: he got infused with quintessence, and was able to bring Shiro back to life.

***

What he remembers after entering the rift still makes him nauseous.

It wasn’t quite destruction. It was decomposition.  It was as if every living being close to the outside of the rift was simply reduced to their molecules. They didn’t even have the time to scream, or run, or be afraid. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise.

He would do it a thousand times over if it meant Shiro was safe.

**Author's Note:**

> I’m thinking of doing a second chapter from Keith’s perspective including the events before this fic, but we’ll see about that, cause I should actually be writing my dissertation but ya know  
> Also also I’m drunk posting this even though I should take another day to edit and stuff but I just had to get this out of my head and out there  
> There’s more I’ve written for this particular story, but these were the excerpts I thought would make this fic semi-coherent  
> Also, comments make so very happy and I re-read them for months afterwards  
> Honestly I’ve got a lot of notes and thoughts about this tiny fic so hit me up either here or on my tumblr @beerdrinkerhellraiser


End file.
